Sony looks to be No. 1 in 3D televisions

Sony wasn’t first to the 3D TV market; Samsung and Panasonic have been out ahead of the pack with displays that came out this past spring.

But Sony believes it can be the worldwide leader in 3D products in the next three years and it’s betting that an emphasis on quality will get them there.

Sony executives came through town today to talk about the company’s 3D televisions and its plans to lead the nascent market. Sony last month began shipping the first of its 3D televisions and believes once people see its TVs, they’ll get on board with the 3D trend.

Sony is shipping nine models that range from 40 inches to 60 inches with prices that go from $2,100 to $5,000. The company also has a handful of Blu-ray players that support 3D and is working on still cameras that can shoot in 3D.

There is a premium of several hundred dollars over similar non-3D TVs and that doesn’t include the active-shutter glasses, which sell for $149.

But Sony is emphasizing a few features that it believes will separate it from the pack. Sony 3D TVs will include more infrared emitters, that communicate with the glasses and allow users to view 3D content from a wider angle. The screens also have something called LED Boost, which ups the brightness of the picture. And Sony’s glasses are designed to block out more light and glare to preserve the 3D experience.

I spent some time watching the World Cup semifinal and the experience is pretty impressive, though its hard to say if it’s much better than Samsung or Panasonic TVs. The viewing angle was pretty wide though and I didn’t feel any eye strain.

Sony believes that 3D is an area where the entire company can help move the technology into consumers’ homes. Sony Pictures is the first to sell a 3D Blu-ray movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and is also teaching TV and movie professionals how best to shoot in 3D. The Sony PlayStation 3 offers four free 3D games with many more paid titles to come.

And the company is also working to create better demonstrations of its 3D technology at its Sony Style stores and other retail outlets. Additionally, Sony is lining up partners like ESPN, the Discovery Channel and DirecTV, which are all working on or have launched 3D channels.

Early industry projections are for 6 million 3D TVs to be sold this year worldwide with that doubling in 2011. It will take a while before 3D sets represent even half of the 200 million sets sold each year. But Sony hopes to be the leader in this market in three years.

Sony and other 3D TV makers will still have to deal with a premium on the displays and the glasses, something Sony Electronics president and COO Stan Glasgow said will remain for some time. But the company believes consumers will be willing to fork over up to $500 extra to buy 3D sets when they see it in action.

Content will also be an open question. Currently, it costs broadcasters 30-50 percent more to shoot in 3D, making it less attractive for more traditional non-event programming. Video games, however, may prove to be a catalyst for 3D TV sales.

There’s also the issue about having to wear these glasses, which no matter how they’re styled, don’t seem to look that cool or fit that comfortably for long periods.

High-definition televisions, which have been out on the market for about ten years, faced a similarly slow embrace by consumers. But they’re now in over 60 percent of U.S. homes. 3D TV makers wouldn’t mind if they followed the same pattern.